This invention relates to diagnostic systems and in particular to a stand-alone diagnostic software tool for providing a diagnostic check of vehicles, such as automobiles and machinery.
In this developing technological society, most dynamic operating equipment rapidly change and generally become more complex so that when it becomes inoperable, the technician who must repair it seeks out specific information enabling him to do so. This is a very time-consuming series of requisite actions that need to be shortened in duration.
Illustrative of the foregoing is the repair of automobiles. Most of us upon taking our car to the mechanic after seeing the xe2x80x9ccheck enginexe2x80x9d light appear to have heard with distress that phrase xe2x80x9cwe must check the computer chipsxe2x80x9d. Automotive diagnostics of today""s vehicles is very different than it was even 5 years ago. With technical information coming in at a rate of over 12,000 pages per month and the fact that there are over 20,000 combinations of years, makes and models of cars currently on the road and over 7,000 service manuals, it is virtually impossible for the mechanic to stay current and retain everything he learns.
The Chilton Auto and Motorcycle manuals are widely known as printed documents available to facilitate repair and/or replacement of the defective part of the vehicle.
Spoto et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,869 describes a diagnostic software system for xe2x80x9cprocessing and presenting on-line multimedia information such as diagnostic information for a machine tool for use (which uses) . . . graphics, documentation, drawings, photographs . . . (and is) user friendlyxe2x80x9d, abstract, uses Question and Answer formats on-line FIGS. 3 and 4, simplified pictures of parts and their locations. FIGS. 7-21, and is specifically used to enhance repairs to machinery. It also describes taking text, photos, animation data for creating diagnostic knowledge from past data, but does not specifically describe taking all technical manual data on the automobile and machinery for the knowledge data base. It is not very visual and does not show a dashboard or template of the equipment being tested or show the relationship between the buttons you push on the dashboard and the specifications of the item being tested. It appears to be nothing more then a flow chart with some pictures added.
Sandifer in U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,381 and Boorse et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,626 to who each describe diagnostic software tools that use technical manual type publications for the databases used with the diagnostic tools. Sandifer appears to be user friendly but does not have anything to do with electronic or hydraulic diagnostics and does not guide one through any diagnostic procedures. Boorse et al is merely an emissions parts locator and image system. It does not guide one through any repairs and does not give the specifications at each wire thus helping any diagnosis of the system.
Complicating the foregoing is data which suggest that if one were to learn something new and then called upon to use it, there would be a loss of what one learned as follows: after 20 minutes, one would have forgotten 41.8%; after one hour, one would have forgotten 55.8%; after one day, one would have forgotten 66.3%; and after six days, one would have forgotten 98.5%. This is another of the reasons that improved diagnostic systems have become a necessity in the automotive industry as well as other industries involving dynamic operating machinery.
The first objective of the present invention is to provide an improved diagnostic system for machinery repair.
The second object of this invention is to provide an improved diagnostic program for electrical, hydraulic, vacuum and/or pneumatic systems.
The third object of this invention is to provide an improved diagnostic program for automobile repair.
The fourth object of this invention is to provide a multi-phase diagnostic system having a first phase providing for identification of the system to be repaired and thereafter a second phase featuring simulation capabilities.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is a method of diagnosing a malfunction of a machinery system utilizing a video monitor onto which a technician can screen pages from a library comprising the steps of: withdrawing from a first portion of said library a template onto which the technician can enter information relating to said machinery system; manually entering said information defining a specific machine and a malfunctioning segment onto said template; withdrawing from a second portion of said library a screen provoked by said manually entered information, said screen showing a schematic of the malfunctioning segment with a plurality of buttons; and, clicking on at least one of said buttons to show a location and proper functional data whereby the technician can diagnose the malfunctions.
The Strategy Based Diagnostic System can be used as a diagnostic software tool for electrical/hydraulic/vacuum pneumatic systems. The system can be used on existing software platforms such as but not limited to WINDOWS(copyright), INTERNET EXPLORER(copyright), or NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR(copyright).
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments that are disclosed in the following text and properties of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.